Examples of a handheld mobile device (HMD) include computing devices such as smart-watches, smartphones, tablet computers, and laptop computers. Examples of related accessories include cameras, speakers, and docking stations. Conventional technologies for coupling an HMD to an accessory include connecting a universal serial bus (USB) cable from a port on the HMD to a port on the accessory. Such wired connections provide high data transfer rates and can be used to transfer power but it is inconvenient and cumbersome for a user to carry a USB cable to connect the devices.
Other conventional technologies for coupling an HMD to an accessory include using a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth wireless connection, which is more convenient than relying on wired connections because the user does not need to carry a wire. However, these conventional technologies have low data transfer rates compared to wired solutions. Yet other custom technologies facilitate easily connecting an accessory to an HMD, but the connection is not robust. For example, an accessory may include a magnet that couples to another magnet on an HMD. Unfortunately, this form of coupling cannot withstand typical forces caused by active users. For example, a camera accessory coupled to a smartphone may experience jittery movement that impairs the images that it captures, or may even decouple and fall off the smartphone when a user is engaged in an activity while holding the smartphone. Accordingly, existing technologies cannot mitigate the effects of forces on an accessory mounted to an HMD to maintain a robust coupling and avoid malfunction by the accessory due to displacement of components of the accessory.